Chemistry
by O Wild West Wind
Summary: Fiyero's attempts at flirting are disguised by more scholarly pursuits. Post-Lion Cub Fiyeraba one-shot, because I can.


**A/N: Hello again! **

**Oh my Oz, thank you sooo much for the wonderful reviews on my first story! It totally made my day. And now, PrincessFabala and NymeriaFae- your wish is my command.  
**

**This has a smidgen of background info, mostly involving a favorite show of mine: Guys and Dolls (yes, I'm a classic show nerd. Don't judge). I had the amazing fortune to play Sarah Brown in our production and I've been quoting the show ever since-especially the part where Sky sings about the chemistry he wants with the love of his life, and Sarah, bewildered, asks about it. (Chemistry? Yeaaahh, chemistry.) In any case, my mind automatically turned the scene Fiyeraba, because why not, and this is the result. There's pretty much no correlation besides that one line- but I hope you guys like it anyway. Enjoy! :D**

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Midterms were fast approaching, and that could mean only one thing to Elphaba Thropp: studying.

There were many layers to her reputation at Shiz, and once you dug past the blatant green, there was general consensus among students and teachers alike that she could very well be topping her graduating class. Elphaba herself didn't know how far to trust the rumors—she was used to ignoring any connected to her name—yet she really did appreciate the fact that everyone acknowledged her intelligence. It wasn't something she was aware of herself until she left her family governess and entered the melting pot of young Ozian minds, and now that she _did_ know how it felt to be recognized for something other than her skin color, she wasn't willing to give up the sensation.

It was because of this that she had come as close as was humanly possible to living in the library for the past few days. All the resources she needed were at her fingertips; and, as fun as Galinda was as her friend, she really couldn't afford the distraction of gossip and makeovers that came with staying in their dorm room.

There was a really comfy armchair in one nook of the building that she liked to claim as her own, and she had been sitting there without disturbance for the past few hours. She felt relatively tranquil, scribbling out charts and rereading old lecture notes while surrounded by the perfume of must and knowledge. A few people undoubtedly scuffed past to complete research of their own, but she hardly noticed them; it wasn't until the main door slammed with a resounding _thud_ that she—and everyone else, she imagined—was snapped out of her studying rapture.

Mentally cursing the person brainless enough to make such a clamor, she glanced up from her book to identify the perpetrator. Who she spotted there, however, was probably the last person she'd ever expected to see standing at the library door.

Fiyero Tiggular had his arms outspread towards the handle, abashed after his unintentionally conspicuous arrival. In one hand was held a brown paper bag, and the other rose slowly up to run through his hair, slightly disheveled by his own commotion.

She felt a slight blush rise in her cheeks, much to her chagrin. What was he doing in the library, anyway? Fiyeros don't just walk into libraries—he'd told her so himself.

With her book as her shield, she watched him bemusedly—he looked so lost. He would take a few quick steps only to stop abruptly, scrunch his brow, and swing the bag in hand like a pendulum. The librarian glared at him pointedly after this lasted a few moments; he smiled suavely back and grabbed the closest book at hand, rifling through its pages with mock interest.

He was undoubtedly looking for something, though, and Elphaba couldn't determine what. However, his befuddled countenance vanished as he finally glanced in her direction and started waving zealously, and she felt the butterflies erupt in her stomach like the Great Volcano of Ugabu.

"Elphaba!"

"Hey, Fiyero."

He grinned, looking something akin to her Munchkin neighbor's new puppy, and opened the paper bag in her general direction. "Doughnut?"

She couldn't help but snicker a little. "Food isn't allowed in the library, Fiyero!"

He looked sheepishly down into the bag, now an abyss of misconduct, but then abruptly started to gesture outwards. "Scooch over."

"What?"

"Get out of that crazy lady's sight—just push your chair that way!"

"If you're going to get me kicked out of the library during midterm week-"

But she could not complete that threat, for the instigator had already begun sliding her chair towards the window and pulling the adjacent one to the same location. After testing their view to the oblivious librarian and finding himself satisfied, he straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Doughnut?"

"You're crazy."

"C'mon, Elphaba, you can't seriously refuse, after _all_ the trouble I took..."

"Okay, okay, fine! Give me the doughnut!" She couldn't find it in her to keep denying him; how could she possibly refuse? Two of her favorite things were right there in the library with her, and she might as well just embrace this luck while it lasted.

_Chocolate glazed. Perfection_. "Why are you in the library, anyway?"

"Well... I thought maybe you could help me with something."

_Help?_ "Help you with what?"

"Well, everyone knows you're the smartest person on campus-"

"I think you're exaggerating just a little."

"-the smartest person on campus, and I was wondering if you could, uh, tutor me a bit. You know, for midterms and stuff."

This was an interesting turn of events- since when did the scandalacious Fiyero Tiggular want help _studying?_

"I can try...I mean, what do you want help with?"

With a flourish of his hand, he said, "Oh, the usual; history, life sciences, Ozian lit, chemistry-"

"Chemistry?"

"Yeah, chemistry." He flashed his trademark princely smile, and despite her strongest efforts to resist, she felt herself blush again.

"You don't take chemistry, Fiyero."

He looked puzzled for a moment, as if something had foiled his plans—yet his charming composure was quickly regained. "But it wouldn't hurt to learn, right?"

Elphaba was highly confused by this point, and she absentmindedly closed her book to twirl a strand of hair around her finger. "Seriously, why are you here? It's freaking me out a little. I mean, I would've expected Morrible to start skipping around and handing out kittens before _you_ would get caught in a library _studying_."

Fiyero pretended to look offended. "So I can't walk into a library without the world coming to an end?" He crossed his arms. "You must think I'm really stupid, don't you."

She suppressed a smile at her déjà vu. "No, not _really_ stupid." After he chuckled in reply, she reopened her book and broke off a piece of her doughnut. "Just really crazy."

"Just saying, I'm not the one who magicked our history class into doing a fancy jig."

"Shut up, that was _one time_, and an accident at that-"

"Shhhh!" The librarian had finally caught up with them, and she glared daggers over her half-moon spectacles. "This is a warning; if you can't be quiet, you are going to have to leave."

Fiyero flashed his most convincing look of innocence. "I'm so sorry ma'am, it won't happen again. I promise."

She stalked off with a disapproving look, and the Vinkun, for once in his life, suddenly looked genuinely serious.

"Hey, Elphaba, I gotta go—I don't want to get you in trouble or anything. Meet me tomorrow at the café, 2:30, to study?"

"Hang on, I never fully agreed to this, I still haven't figured out your ulterior motive-"

"See ya then!" He winked and spun on his heel, headed back to the library doors.

"Wait!" She noted his empty-handed exit. "You forgot your bag!"

"Keep it. Think of it as a diplomatic exchange—Vinkus to Munckinland, payment for the mental savior of its crown prince."

She smiled. "Thanks, Fiyero."

"Any time, Fae."

_Fae_. That was new. For some reason, this nickname sounded a lot sweeter than Galinda's peppy moniker. She opened the bag of doughnuts and let the fresh smell waft around her before taking her pen in hand once more, rapping it lightly on the side of her chair. Tomorrow, Fae was going to study chemistry with Fiyero at the café at 2:30. She didn't quite know what this meant, but, for some reason, she knew that it made her very, very happy.


End file.
